Partitioning device for mixer

ABSTRACT

To provide a partitioning device for mixer, of which partitioning member can be removed from or installed on the machine body of the mixer by holding the partitioning member by both hands, and for which a plurality of kinds of partitioning members can be used commonly, and in which dispersions in the configuration of individual partitioning members are absorbed to ensure their smooth revolutionary movement.  
     The partitioning device is provided on a mixer wherein a bowl is held on the front side of the pillar of the machine body, and a mixing tool is rotated in the bowl by a mixing shaft which extends downward from a head protruding forward from the upper part of the pillar. The partitioning device comprises a partitioning member, which has an annular rail and a surface member, a fixed roller(s) and a movable roller(s), which fit with the rail of the partitioning member, a fixed roller supporting means, which supports the fixed roller in such a way that the fixed roller is prevented from shifting in relation to the machine body, and a movable roller supporting means, which supports the movable roller in such a way that the distance between the movable roller and the fixed roller can be varied, and energizes the movable roller in a direction to close to the fixed roller.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of mixers for mixingmaterials such as food and chemicals, and in particular, relates to apartitioning device which protects hands of operators by preventing suchhands from entering into the bowl in which a material is being mixed andprevents the material from scattering.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] The present inventor proposed a partitioning device for mixer ofthis kind, which was disclosed in Japanese patent unexamined publicationgazette 2001-38186. The partitioning device is designed for a mixerwherein a bowl is supported on the front side of a pillar of the machinebody, and a mixing tool is rotated in the bowl by a mixing shaft whichextends downward from a head protruding forward from the upper part ofthe pillar. The partitioning device comprises an annular guide ringwhich is arranged to surround the mixing shaft beneath the head, aprotective fence which is formed into a tube having a local opening andextends from the guide ring toward the circumference of the bowl, and aguide rail which is mounted on the machine body to surround the outercircumference of the guide ring and rotatably support rollers beingfitted with the guide ring. When the protective fence is located tocover the upper part of the front of the bowl, hands of operators willbe prevented from entering into the rotation area of the mixing tool.When the protective fence is moved revolutionarily so that its openingcomes to the upper part of the front of the bowl, the operators will beable to feed materials, visually check the materials in the bowl, andfix or unfix the mixing tool. The guide rail is divided into two parts,a right one and a left one, and they are disconnectably fitted together.With this division, the partitioning device can be put on or taken awayfrom the machine body. With this arrangement, the protective fence canbe washed whole, and the interior of the machine body can be cleanedeasily, and in turn, the sanitary conditions of the mixer can bemaintained satisfactorily.

[0003] To disconnectably fit the guide rail, which is divided into twoparts, the right portion and the left portion, onto this mixer, themixer is provided with fitting means such as buckles. When theprotective fence is to be disconnected from the machine body, if thefitting means are undone, the protective fence will drop off the guiderail. Hence it is necessary to hold the protective fence by one hand andundo the fitting means by the other hand. This will exceedingly reducethe efficiency of the operation. To cope with this, one idea may be toprovide the machine body with a leaf spring at a point which comes belowthe guide ring of the protective fence to receive the falling protectivefence once by this leaf spring. Then the operator can pull theprotective fence downwards by exerting a force which exceeds the elasticforce of the leaf spring to retract and disconnect the protective fencefrom the machine body. In this way the operator can disconnect theprotective fence from the machine body by holding the protective fencewith both hands. In this case, however, when the protective fence is tobe installed on the machine body, the operator will need to flex theleaf spring in the reverse direction. This, in turn, will require aknack in fitting the protective fence on the machine body and pose aproblem of reduced efficiency of operation.

[0004] As mixers are produced according to varied sets of specificationsand protective fences which are applicable to these mixers vary in size,varied guide rails must be provided according to the kinds of theprotective fences. This is a cost-raising factor.

[0005] If the guide ring of the protective fence is not formed to be atrue circle due to, for example, dispersion in manufacture, the gapbetween the guide ring and the roller is not constant along thecircumference and will pose a problem of irregular revolutionarymovement of the protective fence and, in turn, difficulty in its use.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0006] The present invention was made in view of these points, and itsobjective is to provide a partitioning device for mixer, wherein apartitioning member such as a protective fence is held by movablerollers, and with this arrangement, the partitioning member can beremoved from or installed on the machine body of the mixer by holdingthe partitioning member by both hands, and a plurality of kinds ofpartitioning members can be used commonly, and dispersions in theconfiguration of individual partitioning members are absorbed to ensuretheir smooth revolutionary movement.

[0007] To accomplish the above-mentioned objective, the partitioningdevice for mixer according to the present invention is a partitioningdevice which is provided on a mixer wherein a bowl is held on the frontside of the pillar of the machine body, and a mixing tool is rotated inthe bowl by a mixing shaft which extends downward from a head protrudingforward from the upper part of the pillar, the partitioning device ischaracterized in that it comprises a partitioning member, which has anannular rail being arranged beneath the head to surround the mixingshaft and a surface member having a local opening and being formed intoa tube to extend from the rail toward the circumference of the bowl, atotal of at least three rollers being a combination of fixed roller andmovable roller, which fit with the rail of the partitioning member fromthe inside or the outside to support the partitioning member movablyaround the mixing shaft, a fixed roller supporting means, whichrotatably supports the fixed roller in such a way that the fixed rolleris prevented from shifting in relation to the machine body, and amovable roller supporting means, which supports the movable roller insuch a way that the movable roller can rotate and the distance betweenthe movable roller and the fixed roller can be varied, and energizes themovable roller in a direction to close to the fixed roller.

[0008] In the case of this partitioning device for mixer, thepartitioning member is made to move by rotating the fixed roller and themovable roller which fit with the rail thereof. When the partitioningmember is positioned to cover the upper part of the front of the bowl,hands of the operator will be prevented from entering into the rotationarea of the mixing tool, and the materials will be prevented from beingscattered. Moreover, when the partitioning member is positioned in sucha way that its opening comes to the upper part of the front of the bowl,the operator will be able to feed a material, visually check thematerial in the bowl and fix or unfix a mixing tool.

[0009] When the partitioning member is to be removed from the machinebody, the operator will hold the partitioning member by hands and pushthe partitioning member to press the movable roller in a directionagainst its energizing force. Then the rail of the partitioning memberwill come off the fixed roller. When the operator lowers the releasedrail portion to shift the partitioning member downward aslant away fromthe fixed roller, the partitioning member will be removed from themachine body. When the partitioning member is to be fitted on themachine body, the operator will hold the partitioning member by hands insuch a way that the movable roller side of the partitioning member israised a little higher than the other side, and the operator will fitthe rail of the partitioning member with the movable roller and push themovable roller in a direction against its energizing force, then makethe partitioning member level and allow the partitioning member to movein the direction of the energizing force of the movable roller so thatthe rail of the partitioning member fits with the fixed roller. As aresult, the partitioning member will be fitted on the machine. Theabove-mentioned operation can be done easily by holding the partitioningmember with both hands. When the partitioning member is removed from themachine body, the partitioning member can be washed whole, and theinterior of the machine body can be cleaned with ease, and the sanitaryconditions of the mixer can be maintained satisfactorily.

[0010] As the movable roller is held in such a way that the distancebetween the movable roller and the fixed roller can be varied, and isenergized in a direction to close to the fixed roller, a plurality ofpartitioning members of varied rail diameters can be supported betweenthe fixed roller and the movable roller, and the cost can be reducedthrough the use of common parts for various mixers. Moreover, even ifthe rail of a partitioning member is out of a true circle, the movableroller will shift to vary the distance between the movable roller andthe fixed roller. Hence the fixed roller and the movable roller can fitwith the rail stably and the partitioning member can make smoothrevolutionary movement.

[0011] As described above, the partitioning device for mixer accordingto the present invention can ensure the safety of the operators, preventthe materials from scattering, and provide convenience of feedingmaterials or the like, by means of the partitioning member, and canmaintain the sanitary conditions of the mixer satisfactorily by allowingthe partitioning member to be fitted on or removed from the machinebody. Moreover, as the partitioning member can be removed from or fittedon the machine body by holding it with both hands, the efficiency offitting or removing the partitioning member can be enhancedsignificantly. Furthermore, the as a plurality of kinds of partitioningmembers can be used commonly, the cost can be reduced. As the dispersionin the configuration of rails of partitioning members can be absorbed,smooth revolutionary movement of the partitioning members can beassured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mixer which is provided with thefirst embodiment of the partitioning device. The partitioning member islocated to cover the upper part of the front of the bowl.

[0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view which shows a partitioning member,fixed rollers, movable rollers, a fixed roller supporting means, amovable roller supporting means, etc. of the above-mentionedpartitioning device. The partitioning member is located to cover theupper part of the front of the bowl.

[0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the partitioning member ofthe partitioning device.

[0015]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the fixed rollers,the fixed roller supporting means, a fixed cover, etc. of thepartitioning device.

[0016]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the movablerollers, the movable roller supporting means, etc. of the partitioningdevice.

[0017]FIG. 6 is plan view which partly sections the movable rollersupporting means of the partitioning device to explain advancing andretracting functions of an arm.

[0018]FIG. 7 is a plan view which partly sections the movable rollersupporting means of the partitioning device to explain an oscillatingfunction of the arm.

[0019]FIG. 8 is a perspective view which shows the partitioning member,the fixed rollers, the movable rollers, the fixed roller supportingmeans, the movable roller supporting means, etc. of the partitioningdevice. The partitioning member is located in such a way that itsopening comes to the upper part of the front of the bowl.

[0020]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of some parts, which shows that themovable rollers are being pressed by the partitioning member in adirection against their energizing forces.

[0021]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of some parts, which shows that thepartitioning member is being shifted downward aslant away from the fixedrollers.

[0022]FIG. 11 is a plan view of some parts of the second embodiment ofthe partitioning device.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0023] In the following, the embodiments of the partitioning device formixer according to the present invention will be described withreference to the attached drawings. In FIG. 1 showing the firstembodiment, 10 denotes the machine body of a mixer, and the machine body10 comprises a stand 11, a pillar 12 rising from the rear end of thestand 11, and a head 13 protruding forward from the upper part of thepillar 12. The machine body 10 supports, on the front side of the pillar12, a bowl 20, which opens upward. The mixer is provided with a bowlholder, which holds the bowl 20, and a lifting mechanism, which liftsand lowers the bowl holder. The lifting mechanism may be, for example,one which is operated through a panel to lift and lower the bowl holderby hydraulic power, electric power, etc. Or it may be one which isoperated by a lever through a linkage to lift and lower the bowl holder.A mixing shaft 14 extends downward from the above-mentioned head 13, anda mixing tool 15 is attached to the top end of the mixing shaft 14. Whenthe mixing shaft 14 is rotated by a motor which is stored in the machinebody 10, the mixing tool 15 will rotate in the bowl to mix the work inthe bowl. In the case of this embodiment, the mixing shaft 14 rotates onits own axis while it moves around its revolution axis. However, themixing shaft 14 may make either revolution or rotation.

[0024] A partitioning member 30 as shown in FIG. 3 is provided betweenthe head 13 and the bowl 20. The partitioning member 30 comprises anannular rail 31, which is arranged beneath the head 13 to surround themixing shaft 14, and a surface member 32, which is formed into a tubehaving local openings and extends from the rail 31 toward thecircumference of the bowl 20. A groove is formed on the innercircumference side or the outer circumference side of the rail 31 overthe entire circumference. In the case of this embodiment, the rail 31 isformed by arranging two first annular members 31 a with a verticalinterval between them. Each first annular member 31 a is formed bywinding a rod material into a ring. A groove 31 b is formed betweenthese two first annular members 31 a on the outer circumference sideover the entire circumference. These first annular members 31 a arefixed onto the surface member 32, which is arranged on the innercircumference side of the first annular members 31 a, by welding or thelike. The surface member 32 may be made of a plate piece or may beformed as a fence or a net. What is needed is that the surface member 32can exhibit a function of preventing the hands of operators fromentering. In the case of this embodiment, the surface member 32comprises a fence 32 a, which is formed by a large number of rods whichare fixed at their top ends to the inner side of the first annularmembers 31 a and extend downward aslant, and a second annular member 32b, which is formed by winding a rod material into a ring and connectsthe lower ends of the fence 32 a. The surface member 32 has localopenings. To be more precise, a portion is missing over about one halfcircumference of the tubular surface member 32 to form an opening 32 c.Moreover, a portion of the surface member 32 is formed into a verticalface, and an opening 32 d is formed on the outer circumference side ofthis vertical face. Either one of these openings may be provided.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, fixed rollers 41 and movable rollers 42 fitwith the rail 31 of the partitioning member 30 on the inner side or theouter side thereof, and the partitioning member 30 is supported by thesefixed rollers 41 and movable rollers 42. In the case of this embodiment,as the groove 31 b is formed on the outer circumference side of the rail31, the fixed rollers 41 and the movable rollers 42 fit into the groove31 b from the outer side. The fixed rollers 41 and the movable rollers42 can rotate around axes which are parallel with the mixing shaft 14,and the partitioning member 30 is arranged to be moved around the mixingshaft 14 by the rotation of the fixed rollers 41 and the movable rollers42 around these axes. At least a total of three rollers, in combinationof the fixed roller(s) 41 and the movable roller(s) 42, are provided.

[0026] The machine body 10 is provided with a fixed roller supportingmeans 50, which supports the fixed roller 41 in such a way that thefixed roller 41 can rotate but does not make any shift in relation tothe body 10. As shown in FIG. 4, in the case of this embodiment, thefixed roller supporting means 50 is a plate-shaped bracket. This fixedroller supporting means 50 is formed into a bow in plan view, and itsintermediate part is fixed to the rear part of the lower face of thehead 13, and its ends protrude forward aslant. A fixed roller 41 isrotatably provided on the lower side of each of these ends. The fixedroller supporting means 50 is provided, as occasion demands, with afixed cover 51, which prevents materials from being scattered rearwardor sideways. The fixed cover 51 is formed to be a tubular plate memberof which front half is cut away, and the remaining portion covers therear half of the space between the head 13 and the bowl 20. In the caseof this embodiment, the partitioning member 30 and the fixed rollers 41are provided on the inner circumference side of the fixed cover 51, butthey may be provided on the outer circumference side of the fixed cover51.

[0027] The machine body 10 is provided with a movable roller supportingmeans 60, which supports the movable roller 42 in such a way that themovable roller 42 can be rotated and the distance between the movableroller 42 and the fixed roller 41 can be varied and energizes themovable roller 42 in a direction to close to the fixed roller 41. Asshown in FIG. 5, the movable roller supporting means 60 comprises a body61, which is provided on the machine body 10, an arm 62, which isprovided on the body 61 to rotatably support the movable roller 42 andto ensure that the distance between the movable roller 42 and the fixedroller 41 can be varied and the arm 62 can oscillate in plan view, andan elastic member 63, which is provided between the body 61 and the arm62 to energize the arm 62 to close to the fixed roller 41. In the caseof this embodiment, for the convenience in fabrication, assembly, etc.,the body 61 is divided into three kinds of parts, namely, a first member61 a, which is fixed on the front side of the lower face of the head 13,a second member 61 b, which is fixed on the bottom side of the firstmember 61 a, and two third members 61 c, which fit with both ends of thesecond member 61 b. The arm 62 is formed into a bow in plan view, andtwo supporting bars 62 a extend forward from its intermediate part inparallel to each other. In each of both ends of the arm 62, a U-shapedfitting hole 62 b, which is narrowed at the entrance, is provided, and aconstricted part of the intermediate part, in the height direction, ofthe movable roller 42 is rotatably fitted in each of the fitting holes62 b. As an alternative to this, the movable roller may be rotatablysupported by a shaft which penetrates through it. Two through holes 61 dare made in the second member 61 b of the body 61 sidewise to penetratethe second member 61 b in the front-rear direction, and theabove-mentioned supporting bars 62 a fit in the respective through holes61 d. With this arrangement, the distance between the arm 62 and thefixed rollers 41 can be varied (see FIG. 6). The internal dimension inthe right-left direction of the through holes 61 d is made a littlelarger than the right-left width of the supporting bars 62 a, and withthis arrangement, the arm 62 can oscillate in plan view (see FIG. 7).The front end of the through hole 61 d is blocked by a third member 61c, and a coil spring 63 being an elastic member is squeezed and loadedin the space between this blocking face and the supporting bar 62 a toenergize the arm 62 to close to the fixed rollers 41. 64 and 65 denotesleeves which are inserted, as occasion demands, into the through holes61 d. 66 denotes a locking knob. The locking knob 66 rotatably fits,from the front, into a through hole 61 e which is made in the secondmember 61 b. A groove is made, in a radial direction, in the rearportion of the locking knob 66. On the other hand, a locking bar 62 cextends forward from the intermediate part of the arm 62, and acrossbar, which can be loosely inserted into the groove of theabove-mentioned locking knob 66, is formed on the top end of the lockingbar 62 c. When the locking knob 66 is in a release position, thecrossbar of the locking bar 62 c can fit loosely in the groove of thelocking knob 66. Thus the arm 62 can move much in the forward direction.When the locking knob 66 is turned into the lock position, the crossbarof the locking bar 62 c can contact the faces on both sides of thegroove of the locking knob 66. Thus the forward movement of the arm 62is limited to prevent the partitioning member 30 from being droppedinadvertently. 67 denotes magnets which are preferably provided on thelocking knob 66. When the locking knob 66 comes to the above-mentionedrelease position or the lock position, these magnets will exhibit afunction of tacking the knob 66 in the position by attracting acounterpart magnet in the body 61. The second member 61 b is providedwith two rod-shaped stoppers which vertically move in through holes 61e. The above-mentioned crossbar is located on the front side of thesestoppers. Hence the arm 62 does not slip off the body 61 backwardbecause the crossbar will contact the stoppers to halt (see FIG. 5through FIG. 7). It should be noted that when a measure such as properlysetting the elastic force of the elastic member according to applicationis taken, even if a force works on the partitioning member 30 to dropoff, the arm can amply cope with the force and eliminate the possibilityof the drop of the partitioning member 30. In such a case, there is noneed of providing a drop prevention mechanism which uses the lockingknob 66. The present invention includes embodiments wherein no dropprevention mechanism using the locking knob 66 or the like is provided.

[0028] Accordingly, in the case of the partitioning device for mixer ofthe first embodiment, the partitioning member 30 is moved when the fixedrollers 41 and the movable rollers 42 fitting with the rail 31 thereofare rotated. And, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, when the partitioningmember 30 is located to cover the upper part of the front of the bowl,hands of the operators will be prevented from entering into the rotationarea of the mixing tool 15 and the materials are prevented fromscattering. As shown in FIG. 8, when the partitioning member 30 islocated in such a way that its openings 32 c, 32 d come to the upperpart of the front of the bowl, the operators will be able to feed amaterial, visually check the material in the bowl 20 and fix or unfixthe mixing tool 15.

[0029] When the partitioning member 30 is to be removed from the machinebody 10, as shown in FIG. 9, the partitioning member 30 is held by handsand the movable rollers 42 are pressed in a direction against theirenergizing forces (forward in this embodiment). Then the rail 31 of thepartitioning member 30 will come off the fixed rollers 41. As shown inFIG. 10, when the released rail portion is lowered and the partitioningmember 30 is shifted downward aslant away from the fixed rollers 41, thepartitioning member 30 will be released from the machine body 10. Whenthe partitioning member 30 is to be fitted on the machine body 10, theabove-mentioned procedure can be reversed. The partitioning member 30 isheld by hands in such a way that the movable roller 42 side of thepartitioning member 30 is raised a little higher than the other side,and the rail 31 of the partitioning member 30 is made to fit with themovable rollers 42 and the movable rollers 42 are pressed in a directionagainst their energizing forces. Then the partitioning member 30 is madelevel and it is allowed to move in the direction of the energizingforces of the movable rollers 42 and the rail 31 of the partitioningmember 30 is made to fit with the fixed rollers 41. As a result, thepartitioning member 30 is fitted on the machine body 10. Theabove-mentioned operation can be done easily by holding the partitioningmember 30 with both hands. When the partitioning member 30 is removedfrom the machine body 10, the partitioning member 30 can be washedwhole, and the interior of the machine body can be cleaned with ease,and the sanitary conditions of the mixer can be maintainedsatisfactorily.

[0030] As the movable rollers 42 are supported in such a way that thedistance between the movable rollers 42 and the fixed rollers 41 can bevaried and the movable rollers 42 are energized in a direction to closeto the fixed rollers 41, a plurality of partitioning members 30, ofwhich rails 31 have varied diameters, can be supported between the fixedrollers 41 and the movable rollers 42, and in turn, the cost can bereduced through the use common parts for various mixers. Moreover, evenif the rail 31 of the partitioning member 30 is not a true circle, asthe movable rollers 42 shift in such a way that the distance between themovable rollers 42 and the fixed rollers 41 varies, both the fixedrollers 41 and the movable rollers 42 always fit with the rail 31stably, and the partitioning member 30 makes smooth revolutionarymovement.

[0031] The present invention includes all embodiments of thepartitioning device wherein at least three rollers in total, incombination of the fixed roller and the movable roller, are provided. Ofsuch embodiments, the partitioning device of the above-mentionedembodiment is provided with two fixed rollers 41 and two movable rollers42. With this arrangement, all the rollers fit with a rail 31 of anycurvature, and the partitioning member 30 is more stably supported thanthe case wherein a total of three rollers, in combination of the fixedroller 41 and the movable roller 42, are provided.

[0032] The present invention includes all embodiments of thepartitioning device which is provided with a movable roller supportingmeans wherein the movable roller is supported in such a way that themovable roller can be rotated and the distance between the movableroller and the fixed roller can be varied, and the movable roller isenergized in a direction to close to the fixed roller. Such embodimentsinclude embodiments wherein the movable roller supporting means has asimple structure and comprises one supporting bar 62 a, one through role61 d and one coil spring 63. Among such embodiments, the partitioningdevice of the above-mentioned embodiment has a movable roller supportingmeans 60, which comprises a body 61, which is provided on the machinebody 10, an arm 62, which is provided on the body 61 to rotatablysupport the movable rollers 42 and to ensure that the distance betweenthe movable roller 42 and the fixed roller 41 can be varied and themovable roller 42 can oscillate in plan view, and an elastic member 63,which is provided between the body 61 and the arm 62 to energize the arm62 to close to the fixed roller 41. With this arrangement, due to theoscillation of the arm 62, the movable roller 42 shifts to directionswhich cross the direction in which the movable roller 42 closes to thefixed roller 41. Accordingly, not only when the partitioning member 30rotates around the center of the rail 31 but also when the partitioningmember 30 rotates while making a revolution little by little, themovable roller 42 satisfactorily follows the turning rail 31 to alwaysfit with the rail 31 stably, and in turn, the partitioning member 30rotates smoothly.

[0033]FIG. 11 shows some parts of the second embodiment of thepartitioning device for mixer. The description of the above-mentionedfirst embodiment, including the marks, is quoted in tact as thedescription of the second embodiment, and only configuration and effectwhich differ from those of the first embodiment will be described in thefollowing. In the case of the first embodiment, the first annularmembers 31 a are arranged with a vertical interval between them to formthe rail 31. The groove 31 b is formed between these two first annularmembers 31 a on the outer circumference side over the entirecircumference, and the fixed rollers 41 and the movable rollers 42 arefitted in this groove 31 b. In the case of the second embodiment, thefirst annular members 31 a are arranged with a vertical interval betweenthem to form a rail 31, and a groove 31 b is formed between these twofirst annular members 31 a on the inner circumference side over theentire circumference. Then fixed rollers 41 and movable rollers 42 arefitted in this groove 31 b. As a result, the fixed roller supportingmeans 50 and the movable roller supporting means 60 are located on theinner side of the rail 31 in plan view. The operation and the effects ofthe partitioning device for mixer of the second embodiment are the sameas those of the first embodiment.

[0034] In the respective embodiments mentioned above, the fixed rollersupporting means is provided separately from the machine body, but thefixed roller supporting means may be integrated with the machine body tomake a part of the machine body function as the fixed roller supportingmeans. This also applies to the body of the movable roller supportingmeans. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the body is divided intothree parts, but it may comprise one member, two members, or four ormore members. The present invention is also applicable to mixers whichare not provided with a lifting mechanism for the bowl.

[0035] With the description of these embodiments, the first partitioningdevice for mixer of the present invention, which was described in“Disclosure of Invention” above has been fully disclosed. Moreover, withthe description of these embodiments, the second and third partitioningdevices of mixer, which will be described below, have been fullyexplained.

[0036] The second partitioning device for mixer is the firstpartitioning device for mixer wherein two fixed rollers and two movablerollers are provided. With this arrangement, as all the rollers fit witha rail of any curvature, the rollers can function effectively. Moreover,the partitioning member is supported more stably than the case wherein atotal of three rollers, in combination of the fixed roller and themovable roller, are provided.

[0037] The third partitioning device for mixer is the first partitioningdevice for mixer or the second partitioning device for mixer, whereinthe movable roller supporting means comprises a body, which is providedon the machine body, an arm, which is provided on the body to rotatablysupport the movable roller and to ensure that the distance between themovable roller and the fixed roller can be varied and the arm canoscillate in plan view, and an elastic member, which is provided betweenthe body and the arm to energize the arm to close to the fixed roller.With this arrangement, due to the oscillation of the arm, the movableroller shifts to directions which cross the direction in which themovable roller closes to the fixed roller. Accordingly, not only whenthe partitioning member rotates around the center of the rail but alsowhen the partitioning member rotates while making a revolution little bylittle, the movable roller satisfactorily follows the turning rail toalways fit with the rail stably, and in turn, the partitioning memberrotates smoothly.

1. A partitioning device for mixer, which is provided on a mixer whereina bowl is held on the front side of the pillar of the machine body, anda mixing tool is rotated in the bowl by a mixing shaft which extendsdownward from a head protruding forward from the upper part of thepillar, the partitioning device being characterized in that it comprisesa partitioning member, which has an annular rail being arranged beneaththe head to surround the mixing shaft and a surface member having alocal opening and being formed into a tube to extend from the railtoward the circumference of the bowl, a total of at least three rollersbeing a combination of fixed roller and movable roller, which fit withthe rail of the partitioning member from the inside or the outside tosupport the partitioning member movably around the mixing shaft, a fixedroller supporting means, which rotatably supports the fixed roller insuch a way that the fixed roller is prevented from shifting in relationto the machine body, and a movable roller supporting means, whichsupports the movable roller in such a way that the movable roller canrotate and the distance between the movable roller and the fixed rollercan be varied, and energizes the movable roller in a direction to closeto the fixed roller.
 2. A partitioning device for mixer as recited inclaim 1, wherein two fixed rollers and two movable rollers are provided.3. A partitioning device for mixer as recited in claim 1 or claim 2,wherein the movable roller supporting means comprises a body, which isprovided on the machine body, an arm, which is provided on the body torotatably support the movable roller and to ensure that the distancebetween the movable roller and the fixed roller can be varied and thearm can oscillate in plan view, and an elastic member, which is providedbetween the body and the arm to energize the arm to close to the fixedroller.